"A powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time."

The Golden State Warriors are, by definition, a dynasty. And after Friday night's Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, which gave them their third NBA championship in four tries, it's not even really up for debate.

The Warriors' rise began with the drafting of Stephen Curry in 2009 and continued with the addition of Klay Thompson in 2011 and the second-round steal of Draymond Green in 2012. But in terms of this current reign, it started with the 2014-15 season.

And it doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon.

The road hasn't been without some bumps — none bigger than their 3-1 Finals collapse against Cleveland in 2016. Green was suspended for Game 5 following his swipe at LeBron James the game before, Curry was ejected late in Game 6 for throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of a fan, and by the end of Game 7, the NBA's golden boys had crumbled.

There was some trouble again this year, when injuries to Curry — he played just 51 regular-season games — had the Warriors limping into the postseason as losers of 10 of their final 17 games. They entered as the No. 2 seed in the West for the first time since this run began, and if it weren't for Houston's Chris Paul being forced to miss Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference finals with a hamstring injury, the Warriors' pursuit of dynasty status may have come to an abrupt halt.

It didn't.

We chronicle some of the Warriors' best and most memorable moments from this historic run.

Jan. 23, 2015 | The 37-point quarter

Thompson hit all 13 of his shot attempts, including nine three-pointers, in the third quarter of this regular-season game against Sacramento, setting an NBA record for points in a quarter.

"I was one of the luckiest NBA players ever to play with Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and some of the greatest players ever," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "As many spectacular things as Michael did, which he did nightly, I never saw him do that."

June 16, 2015 | The first one

Do the Warriors win their first championship in 40 years if Cleveland's Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love don't go down with injuries? Maybe, maybe not. But basketball's a game of what-ifs. Don't forget: The Warriors were down 2-1 twice during this championship run — in the Western Conference semifinals vs. Memphis and then again in the Finals.

Feb. 4, 2016 | The visit

A day after Curry put together an all-time performance against Washington (51 points with 11 three-pointers), the Warriors took a trip to the White House for an honorary championship ceremony with President Barack Obama, who shed light on how important to the game of basketball the Warriors had already become.

“This is a great basketball team, but it’s a great organization, it’s a great culture," he said. "And these are outstanding young men. They’re the kind of people you want representing a city, representing the NBA, and the kind of people that you want our kids to be rooting for.”

Feb. 27, 2016 | The shot heard 'round the NBA

With 11 made threes and 43 points in this late-February game against Oklahoma City, Curry pulled up from two steps past half court with less than three seconds remaining and the game tied in overtime. His 12th three-pointer of the game splashed home, and the Warriors held on for their 53rd win in 58 tries.

April 13, 2016 | The 73rd win

With a 125-104 win over Memphis, the Warriors completed the winningest season in league history, finishing 73-9, which eclipsed the 72-10 mark set by Chicago in 1995-96. It was only fitting that Curry finished the game with 10 three-pointers, pushing his season total to 402 — 116 more than the previous single-season record he set the year before.

"I never thought anybody would ever come close to breaking the record when I was lucky enough to be a part of it," said Kerr. "I’m shocked we are where we are just because of how difficult it is."

May 10, 2016 | The unanimous MVP

Not only did Curry join Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Steve Nash as the fourth guard in league history to win the award in back-to-back years, he became the first player to win it by unanimous decision.

“I looked at the list of everybody who's won an MVP award … legends," Curry said. "To be the first unanimous MVP award winner is something I don't even know how to put into words."

May 30, 2016 |The comeback

Down 3-1 in the Western Conference finals, the Warriors were one loss away from watching their historic journey come to an end at the hands of Oklahoma City. First came a 120-111 win at home in Game 5, then a 108-101 win led by a 41-point outburst from Thompson, and finally, back at Oracle Arena, a 96-88 win to send Kevin Durant and the Thunder home. Would Durant have left Oklahoma City had this series gone the other way? We'll never know.

July 4, 2016 | The addition

Durant, one of the most sought-after free agents in recent history, announced his decision to sign with the Warriors, putting an end to an era with an Oklahoma City franchise and drastically altering the league's landscape.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry joke around while they pose for photos during media day.(Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)

The criticism for both Durant and the Warriors was widespread. Durant was dubbed a "snake" for taking the "if you can't beat them, join them" approach, while the beloved Warriors — who lost to Cleveland in the Finals just two weeks before — became the league's villains in the eyes of many.

Jan. 16, 2017 |The revenge

Between the 2016 Finals and Christmas Day, the Warriors had lost four consecutive games to the Cavs. They weren't about to make it five, steamrolling Cleveland by 35 points while putting an end to their psychological edge.

June 7, 2017 |The dagger

Late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2017 Finals against Cleveland, Durant grabbed a defensive rebound, trotted up the court and drained a three-pointer over James, giving the Warriors a one-point lead with under a minute remaining. The basket, and the win, left the Cavaliers stunned. The Warriors took a 3-0 series lead and closed out the Cavs in Game 5.

"(Durant) took over," Kerr said. "You can tell, he knows this is his moment. He's been an amazing player in this league for a long time, and I think he's — he senses this is his time, his moment."

May 28, 2018 | The third quarter

Tied 3-3 in the Western Conference finals with Houston, the Warriors entered halftime of this decisive Game 7 down 11 points. Then they did what they had done all season, putting together a furious third-quarter rally — they outscored the Rockets 33-15 — to put the game out of reach for good and clinch a spot in the Finals for the fourth consecutive year.

"Our talent took over," Kerr said. "It's as simple as that. We've got three of the best shot-makers in the league ... we stayed with it."

June 8, 2018 |The sweep

The Warriors were the heavy favorites heading into their fourth consecutive Finals date with Cleveland, and after a late-game collapse in Game 1, any chance the Cavaliers had of making it a series was gone. Capped off by a 23-point Game 4 win in Cleveland, the Warriors completed the most lopsided Finals sweep in league history, outscoring the Cavs by a total of 60 points.